Awadh’s Ramlila to be staged in Australia, Fiji

Temples in Melbourne will have Ramlila nights in October, giving Indians living there a chance to see the enactments and connect with their native land. A troupe of Ramlila artistes under Ayodhya Research Institute will be in Australia for three days in October to perform the act.

The trip would be followed by a visit to Fiji where the artistes would participate in Ramayan festival and showcase the traditional Ramlila of Awadh.

The festival would be held on October 14, 15 and 16. YP Singh, director Ayodhya Research Institute said, “We got an invite from the embassy of Fiji for the festival. Since we had to take the Australia route, we were invited by Indians settled in Australia to hold a performance there also. The performance in Australia would be hosted at temples.”

The 16-member troupe would enact three scenes of the epic--birth of lord Ram, the dhanush episode and Swayamwar and finally the coronation.

“There is time constraint and more than that it wouldn’t be easy to carry costumes and props. So we decided to showcase the essence of the epic through these episodes,” said Singh.

Special costumes and curtains with background scenes printed on it are being designed. “These days the Ramlilas have gone hi -ech. There are screens and digital display of backgrounds. But we have decided to stick to the traditional style,” he said .

This is not the first trip of Ramlila troupes from Ayodhya to a foreign land. Earlier, the troupes have performed in The Netherlands, Mauritius and Thailand.

“It is always the traditional Ramlila of Ayodhya that is in demand. So we get troupes from Ayodhya to perform the Ramlila and they are widely appreciated. It is an experience for the artistes as well,” said Singh.

In addition to senior artistes who would play the various characters, the protagonists Ram and Sita would be played by children, he added.